INTRODUCTION
Origins of the rabbit
The rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculi) originally came from the Iberian peninsula but was introduced to the rest of Europe over 2000 years ago by the Romans who kept them in walled gardens called leporaria.
They were further domesticated by French monks from the 5th to 6th centuries onwards who feasted on the “aquatic young” in place of meat during Lent (Batchelor 1999; Nowak 1999b). In the 12th century the Normans brought the rabbit to England and Ireland and they became common during the following two hundred years. They were fully domesticated by the 17th century, initially being used for game on the landlords’ estates, but they became a popular source of food during the era of industrialization (Batchelor 1999; Sandford 1996). In the Victorian era the rabbit became popular as a children’s pet and entered the realms of fiction in books like Alice in Wonderland, Peter Rabbit, and Brer rabbit. During the two world wars there were also mini-booms in keeping rabbits for food when other sources of food were scarce (Sandford 1996).As it spread throughout Europe, the rabbit was such a successful breeder that the early explorers carried it as a food source and released it on remote oceanic islands. It was introduced to South America in the mid-18th century and to Australia and New Zealand in the late 19th century, where the absence of predators meant it rapidly reached pest proportions (Bell 1999). Although released in North America it - fortunately for farmers - never managed to survive there in the wild (Sandford 1996).
There are now over 70 recognized breeds of fancy and Rex rabbits (Batchelor 1999) and it is ever popular as a pet, and also for farming and laboratory research. The first set of experiments on rabbits was in 1852 when an Austrian physician fed deadly nightshade to rabbits and found that 60% of them showed no ill effects (Brewer & Cruise 1994; Stein & Walshaw 1996). This led to the discovery of the rabbit enzyme atropinesterase that hydrolyses atropine, thereby reducing the effect of atropine in this species. The two parts of the taxonomic name of the rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, translate from the Latin as “burrowing hare” and “underground passage”, respectively.
Longevity and size
The average life span of rabbits is 7-10 years. They vary in size, depending on breed, ranging from the 7 kg Flemish Giant to the 1 kg Dwarf Polish or Dutch breeds (Batchelor 1999; Harkness & Wagner 1995).